Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-12-25
NEW YORK LETTER.
earsAm: ITS GOSSIP AND ITS TRICKS
AND PEOPLE.
-,kstor Fsmily-Wealth and Social En.
wrtsinments-someth About Pr
anos-Hox and the Prinee,
,,rcspondcncc Of tho Richmond Dispa,ch.l
N-.u. NnrE ncnornhnr d 1877

.--r-cspcndcrcc OF tho Richmond Dispatch.l
NV YoRE, December "a, 1877.
The Aston family claims pre-. eminence
Co., hc social world Of New York, aud now
.,.t Mrs. John Jacob Aston has passed
rln .l.c scene Of fashions whims and
..,,lres the social leadership is supposed
.h9 upon Mrs. William Astor. The
..-Mucd wealth OF the Astor family is
,..,ly one hundred and fifty million dol.
,-. They own seven hundred houses
.. Nrw York, or so many that it does
,..uav 90 insure them. The founder of
a.. i.lsc-old John Jacob Aston CAME
q, Chs, country late IN the last century,
s.I iicd forty years ago worth twenty
....,a dollars after a lifetime devoted
..l. sale Of skins. pclts. tea, ginseng,
. other interesting suggestions for
,,,st of9rms when the successful polt
-.l,r ~ Lis descendants should aspire
. social leadership. The original Astor
..0,scl exceptional commercial skill,
.tvas IN DO sense the great man that
,,.-,llko cringers at the heels OF
,s.h would have it appear. lie was a
.tlalcr, close. hard headed, bOWing
L-. one altar. on which stands the
-.-u image OF mAmmon lie left ms
meu.s o. his memory the Aston
....,. the Aston Library, Astoria on
r.~ Island. and another town of the
.re ruo on the Pacific coast, and a
..rt.I'o institution also bearing his
... 20 Waldorf on the Rhine, where he
...t.-u. AID which ne founded at an
,,rr-. oi half n million dollars
r. .~.nr Library in this city cost him
.. il. emily nearly or quite that sum.
p. ... s~or was William b. Astor. who
..-tI l,s life to the preservation Of
.. ..e Ic.t him. He increased il by
... -cal-estate investments in the
Of the city, and died with
use times as large as that of the
i-'cr He had no social aspi-
md did not plume himself on
atl. Walking down Broadway
ming 70 his Office he stepped
puddle in the gutter and he ac-
v splsttcred the boots of
.nin behind him. The man plain
slowed that he was annoyed,
rnn Mr.. Aston invited him
. IBIS Office. close at hand, and
..5 out % blacking-brush the hun
millionaire was proceeding TO
.. tle strangers boots when the lat
.-. having discovered that the tall, fair
aexioued. would-be bootblack was
N sm B. Astor. one OF the richest men
.-te world. refused to allow him to
..Iy ont lis Smiable intention, and,
ing 10 the roots Of his hair, hurried
.. with new and strange ideas of mil
.aIrcs William b. Aston left the bulk
lis fortune 10 his son. John Jacob
..-1r, and lt is said was inclined 10 prac-
lily disiuherit his other son, William,
seemed 20 have no business capacity
r .ever but John Jacob magnanlmOus-
.rl,s.,tsd upon his brothers receiving
. ..s.lcrable share of tho estate, and
-.., John is worth one hundred millions
R.I William fifty millions.
M4s. AsTOR's BESEFACTIONs.
Yrs. John Jacob Astor, who has Just
t..l. asrred % the social leadership of
NcvlurA There has been considerable
fii 20 local newspapers about her bene-
factions which, considering her vast
wealth. seem 90 have been conducted on
e. yev moderate scale compared with
t.-. q t.e late Miss Catherine Wolfe,
rl. was one Of New York's veal
finest and most amiable of mil
na.-e-. Mrs. As;or's social emf
l.l,e md the well-known close
-.-s q the Astor family made what
ever Charitable Gift she might make
f.. % f.r greater consequence than 1t
v vss. Often the petty benefac
g., Us rs the wealthy are simply futile
,-.rf-s 20 crawl through the eye of a
-.o the larger world of charity
,.i .--anitv beyond the narrowing,
-s--,rrted confines Of money and
~e-yrmbbinC. The simple truth IS
g.. ,-s. Aston was a well-mcaning
gonna 'f very ordinary calibIe, who
.rrl.siv gave moderate sums for
charitable objects, and was accordingly
.. % the skies by the sickenlng
.. r..1ts Who crook a iawning kneeto
te Almighty Dollar.
[t.s assumed that the new head Of
\-- l0rs society is Mrs. William Aston
> tI, slender, OF fair education,
.-. about lity-fye years Of age. She is
ie1lter oi one of the old merchants
.. \.~ York. named Schermerhorn, one
.t t.. leaders of commercial life here
t.. E.r- OF the LcnnOXes, the Whit
t.t.. a.l other successful traders. The
~.a,- r..rns lived in stately old
srrI- "a Broadway between Wall
-...a; .., Exchange Place in the days
I.l1lway was as fashionable a
of residence as Fifth avenue Is
..a AZ that time New street, on which
-.. r-a-ut the Stock Exchange ahutsand
r.... f., low daily thronged with we'll
-ei brokers, was simply a stable
.'-..t i'r the Broadway mansions. Old
.rhorn's daughter married VII
.-or and now some are incllncdto
pee. -l... ler as New Nork's social
..- The Schermerhorn family, by
4, .v, are still wealthy, partly owing
tae rise IN downtown real estate.
v own the large T-shaped Schermer-
hlling, with entrances on Broad
rr. Wall, and Pine streets, aud which
yuug " Napoleon " Henry :. Ives
g..- with his presence for few hours
r day. having been turned out OF his
nassau. -.r.et offices fox non-payment OF
,~. One member Of the Schermerhorn
,irred a social eclipse on being
c-o'i l cheating at cards, and was
t,.l O. resign from the clubs.
s. SUCCESSFUL OPERATION.
N-, William Astor's mania for social
c..,.,, is almost pitiful. Some years
.. s.e was addicted with cancer ON
t.rlrrer lIp, and she seemed likely to
i.rau,d during her lifetime from all
-, apal.on ia the fashionable excite
..'- oi tie metropolis, but she went
t Pans, had an operation successfully
,'.ymed AND tina lip was 50 inge-
81 Uccci out that she returned TO
N0F lulkTeady q resume her old social
rmals On great social occasions, at
u' grand balls Of the Metropolitan
ore's-Ho1se ~ DelmOnico's, the Ip on
winch t.o h.iaJrs growth had once laid
i'- i...0ue tOuch in mOckery OF
wealth as,ically painted TO con
Oh. work OF the surgeons
a-.. II IS not little su8-
t'e H that blood-chilling French
-e '.ara 70 which the ambitious hero
..' n... one side Of her face TO CON
'. -~r which might tell terrible
ct